Some NEW friends just arrived at EPCOT! We’ve been missing our manatee pals ever since the manatee exhibit at The Seas with Nemo & Friends closed on January 14th. This was the longtime home of Lil Joe and Lou, but now, some new manatees have arrived at the exhibit! They were a little shy at first, and Cast Members told us that they were staying in their backstage tank for a bit. The wait paid off, though! Finally, it’s lunchtime!
We visited the manatees on their third official day on display. The manatees are both female, and they’re both orphans who have been rescued from the wild. Disney explained that they are temporary residents here at EPCOT while they recover to be released into the wild. Wanna meet them? Of course you do! Let’s take a peek.
Meet Cider and Mino! The larger manatee is Cider. She weighs 770 pounds. She has a wound under her neck that Cast Members are monitoring. Once it’s healed, she will be ready to be released.
The smaller manatee is Mino. She weighs 470 pounds, so she has a lot of lettuce to eat to catch up to Cider. Mino is about two years old, and babies are typically meant to be with their mothers for 3–4 years. She should weigh about 600 pounds, so Cast Members will need to get up to that weight before she can be released.
The manatees at EPCOT spend about six to eight hours a day eating, and they get to enjoy a LOT of romaine lettuce — about 70 to 150 heads a day!
There are also two male manatees at EPCOT, but they are not in the on-stage tanks. According to Cast Members, they arrived from the rescue organization with Mino.
We also learned that manatee releases usually happen in the winter, so these friends could be here for a while — especially little Mino. Keep eating, little lady!
In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney news, so stay tuned for more.
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